All about SKIP, PEP, Badges, BBs and More!

Mike Haasl wrote:Look a bit harder :)

Perhaps focus on the Wood level of Animal care and the Straw level of Textiles...

SOoo much ashamed right now ! haha, i should have take my time and a another cofee... I sooo not apply enough the permaculture principle about going sloww... sorry ! At least your answer will save me a wrong submission in the oddball section, Thank Mike !

It's all good :)  I should've read your last line a bit better to know that you did find the textiles ones.  I know we're missing some stuff in these badges but I knew we had that one covered.....

I just got my book and plan on working on my SKIP skills.  As a seasoned homesteader I have many skills.  It will be fun to acquire badges. Thanks for letting me be a part of something great!

Hmm.  Some areas are areas where I have been doing things for 45 years professionally.  I may be too old to do it all again.  

It might have just escaped my attention, but I looked and couldn't find info on what those should do who want to be on the giving side of the SKIP program.
I am trying to give away (not asking for any money)  2.5 acres of land for a very specific purpose that aligns with PEP, SKIP, permaculture principles and in general sustainable living.

Where can I plug into this program?

Hi Erik, you sound like an "Otis".  At the top of the first post in this thread it has a chapter on Otis with some links to more info.  We aren't acting as matchmakers so it's up to the Otis to chose an heir.  Perhaps you might find someone you like by looking at the SKIP leaderboard.

Hello!

I noticed a possible typo, or perhaps I just require clarification. On your requirements for the PEP4 certification it says you need "+7 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects)". If I'm understanding the language and math correctly, 7(PEP2) + 15(PEP3) + 7(PEP4) straw badges equals 29 total, which I don't think is possible.

Am I missing something?

Thank you!

The full sentence is that PEP4:

Requires 3 iron badges + 12 wood badges + 7 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects).

So you have to take all the aspects at least to Straw level, bump 12 of the aspects to Wood level and get 3 of them aaaaaallll the way up to Iron level.

Mike Haasl wrote:The full sentence is that PEP4:

Requires 3 iron badges + 12 wood badges + 7 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects).

So you have to take all the aspects at least to Straw level, bump 12 of the aspects to Wood level and get 3 of them aaaaaallll the way up to Iron level.

The thing is, it seems like all 22 straw badges are already covered by PEP2 and PEP3.

PEP2 requirements state:

Requires 1 wood badge + 7 straw badges + 14 sand badges (a badge in all 22 aspects)

PEP3 requirements state:

Requires 7 wood badges + 15 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects)

If one completes 7 straw badges for PEP2 and then completes 15 straw badges for PEP3 you have completed 22 straw badges. So how can 7 more be included in PEP4 if all 22 straw badges are required by finishing PEP3 requirements?

If you add up the straw badges required from PEP2, PEP3, and PEP4, (respectively 7,15, and 7), you get 29 straw badges total.

My understanding is that when you complete PEP1 you don’t begin from zero badges again, you just earn more.

To get the iron badge you must complete the wood and straw and sand badges.


PEP2:

1 wood badge + 7 straw badges + 14 sand badges (a badge in all 22 aspects)

1+7+14= a badge in all 22 aspects

At this point you have completed all the sand badges because to get straw you first have to complete sand.

Then you complete more badges to end up in a situation where you have:

PEP3:

7 wood badges + 15 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects)

7+15= a badge in all 22 aspects.

At this point you have completed all the straw badges which means you now have 0 sand badges because the straw badges have eaten them.

Then you complete some more badges to end up in a situation where you have:

PEP4:

Requires 3 iron badges + 12 wood badges + 7 straw badges (a badge in all 22 aspects).

3+12+7= a badge in all 22 aspects.

Because you have bumped total of 12 badges from straw to wood, in the math part of this you now have less straw badges than before because they are included in the wood and iron badges.

Saana's got it.  When you get further along it will make even more sense.  By PEP3 you've earned every straw badge.  To go to pep4 you'll have upgraded a number of them up to Wood or Iron level.

"By PEP3 you've earned every straw badge."

This was my main confusion. If one has earned every straw badge there is by PEP3 as you said, how can they then earn 7 more straw badges as part of PEP4 certification?

"A formal PEP4 program could take a little over two years (~4700 hours).  Requires 3 iron badges + 12 wood badges + 7 straw badges"

You don't need to earn 7 more straw badges for PEP4, you just retain 7 of the ones you earned prior while the rest have been promoted to Wood or Iron.

Mike Haasl wrote:You don't need to earn 7 more straw badges for PEP4, you just retain 7 of the ones you earned prior while the rest have been promoted to Wood or Iron.

Thank you for the clarification of the language for me.

Curious what the age limit for a skipper is or if there is an age limit? Does “young” have a cutoff or could a young at heart middle aged person participate?

Stacey Stormes wrote:Curious what the age limit for a skipper is or if there is an age limit? Does “young” have a cutoff or could a young at heart middle aged person participate?

Hi Stacey, there is definitely no age cut-off for SKIPpers. I (and the many other) middle age skippers welcome you!

Happy SKIPping!

A new podcast with Paul has been released today - in this one he's chatting to Jae, a SKIP event attendee, who has accelerated her progression through the program by annual attendance at the event.  When she came to the event last year she was a complete beginner, and now she's on track to be the 3rd person to get to PEP1 level - amazing!

This is a great lunch chat with Paul, Jae and Mike and Opalyn who chip into the conversation at intervals.  Click below for a listen :)

Learn Skills and Inherit Property (for free)

Do you have to be a certain age to take part in the SKIP/PEP program? Thanks!

Katie See wrote:Do you have to be a certain age to take part in the pep program? Thanks

Hi Katie, welcome to the forums. This post might have the answer to your question: https://permies.com/p/1895187

Hello all, my name is Randi. I stumbled in here from beyond google trying to research eco villages and homesteaders for a completely unplugged non monetary sustainable lifestyle for myself, my husband and our 2 children. Montana caught our eye. Would like to get more information on requirements tot get started or if there is any openings for immediate start/join in. If there is anyone who could point me in the right direction and get me the right information, i can continue on my journey to building a homestead. have experience in basic home repair to cooking sewing and growing a garden. i love animals and have raised chicken and goats. willing to learn to make my own cheeses, butter, canning and dehydration. i would also like to make beeswax wraps without the use of electricity by either open fire cooking or wood burn stove or recycled materials. Any body want to help a mama out? lol

Looking for input and also sharing an idea. I am a homeschooling parent and I have half an idea to adapt the Skip program as part of the homeschool curricula. Several things come to mind, My daughter will need her own account, does anyone know what the age requirement to have an account? Assuming it will be some years until she can have an account will pictures and vid that are several years old be acceptable for credit or will she need to repeat the projects again once she's old enough to have an account. Of course she will have to be older for some of the bigger projects, but many of the  early projects are things she could start learning now, like baking bread, mending and sewing pillows etc...I don't figure the first tries will qualify, but that's the point of learning lol! Anyone got any good ideas to share, concerns I didn't think of?

Victoria Jankowski wrote:will pictures and vid that are several years old be acceptable for credit

As long as they satisfy the requirements of the BB, in demonstrating that the person has the skill, when the pictures were taken is currently immaterial.

I don’t know what age you’re talking about or what your level of comfort is with internet exposure, but if I were doing what you propose, I’d just set the kid up with an account and start accumulating BBs. It would be terrible to do 100 of them only to find out later that you misunderstood something about how the program worked and none of them count.

Victoria, that's an excellent idea.  I've been trying to figure out how to get SKIP more connected up with homeschoolers.  There are some home school kids doing BBs already.

I agree with everything Christopher said.  

There isn't an age limit for getting an account or starting SKIP.  One thing to keep in mind is that if an early attempt won't be good enough, please don't submit it. It's a lot of work/stress for the certifiers to reject BBs, especially for new posters.  So only submitting work worthy of an A grade is very helpful.  In a homeschooling situation the parent might need to be a bit of a gatekeeper.

I have tried searching and um coming up empty or confused. for the BBs do they have to be done in order? for instance im building a cabin. I have installed all the wire and plumbing myself but those are wood badge level BBs. can I submit bits for different levels or does it have to go from the sand level and work up? Its not just for those two but all the BBs im wondering about.

Matthew Coop wrote:I have tried searching and um coming up empty or confused. for the BBs do they have to be done in order? for instance im building a cabin. I have installed all the wire and plumbing myself but those are wood badge level BBs. can I submit bits for different levels or does it have to go from the sand level and work up? Its not just for those two but all the BBs im wondering about.

You can submit BBs for any level. To get the badge you must complete what is states is required for that specific badge. Sometimes this is all the BBs underneath it, sometimes it is a total of points, and other times it is a certain amount of BBs out of a pick list. I hop around and submit as I have projects that fit the BBs.

Hi! I'm hoping to do SKIP this summer. I am not entirely clear on how the badges work, and I was wondering if somebody more knowledgeable on the subject could offer me any guidance.
Is one BB from any badge enough to earn the given badge, or does one need multiple BBs to earn a badge, and if so how many?

Hi Finn, I'd say to start at the first post of this thread and click on some of the badge links and it should start to make more sense:  https://permies.com/wiki/skip-pep-bb

Hi. This is all very interesting and exciting for me. Currently, 15 years, I'm a 'duck out of water City dweller'. Growing up on my family's farm with livestock ( cows, chicks, hog), tending to the soybean, wheat, and corn fields, as well as maintaining a large garden was heaven in earth for me. Those experiences are many years ago but feels like yesterday and I long to go back to it.
Where do I start to become a SKIPper? Do I need my own tools? Where are the courses to learn each skill; online or on a physical site. Are there any fees I need to pay?
Id appreciate any and all information. I've never wanted to live in the city/urban areas but due to life circumstances I am here. (For the time being.)

Hey Gjt, welcome to permies.  Love that excitement!

If you've read all the way through the first post on this thread, this other post might help you get started with a BB: https://permies.com/wiki/147283/skills-inherit-property/Badge-Bit-BB

There used to be a place to record your progress and badges earned on this website. Is that still around? Is there a place to record the badges online and share them with landowners?

Melissa is this what you're looking for?  https://permies.com/wiki/161174/skills-inherit-property/List-SKIPpers-PEPpers

I think there is another list for people who have completed PEP 2 or 3.

Melissa Rose wrote:There used to be a place to record your progress and badges earned on this website. Is that still around? Is there a place to record the badges online and share them with landowners?

You can make your own thread in the SKIP Workshop forum with your BB accomplishments and anything else you'd like to add for landowners. You can see a bunch of examples in there of other people's SKIP threads.

I hope that helps!